Original Perfection: Vairotsana's Five Early Transmissions

by Keith Dowman (Translator), Pema Rigdzin (Foreword by)

Overview

These early, foundational Dzogchen texts—clear, lyrical, and rich in metaphor—were smuggled into Tibet in the eighth century on white silk, written in goat-milk ink that would become visible only when exposed to heat. These five texts are the root of Dzogchen practice, the main practice of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism. Vairotsana, a master among the first generation of Tibetan Buddhists, reveals here a truth that is at once simple and deeply profound: that all existence—life itself, everyone one of us—is originally perfect, just as is. Keith Dowman's sparkling translation and commentary provide insight and historical background, walking the reader through the truths encountered in this remarkable book.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780861716807
Publisher:	Wisdom Publications MA
Publication date:	08/13/2013
Pages:	128
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Keith Dowman has been involved in the arena of Buddhism for more than forty years, living and raising a family in India and Nepal and in Tibetan refugee society. He received lay ordination in the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism and is the author of more than a dozen books on Tibet and Tibetan Buddhism, including Flight of the Garuda, Sky Dancer, and Original Perfection.

The Venerable Bhakha Tulku Rinpoche is a holder of the Tibetan lineage of Rigdzin Pema Lingpa and the founder of the Vairotsana Foundation.

Table of Contents

Foreword Bhakha Tulku ix

Preface to the American Edition xi

Translator's Introduction 1

The Cuckoo s Song of Pure Presence 17

Radical Creativity 19

The Great Garuda in Flight 23

Pure Golden Ore 39

The Eternal Victory Banner: The Vast Space of Vajrasattva 47

Notes 87

Appendixes

I The Tibetan Text and Commentaries 91

II Mind Series Terminology 95

Select Bibliography 107

Index 109

About the Translator 113

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“The five texts translated into English in this book are considered the first transmission of Dzogchen to Tibet. They were transmitted by a Tibetan monk called Vairotsana who distinguished himself not only in the field of translation, emerging as the greatest of the Tibetan lotsawas, but also as a traveler and pilgrim who left the Land of the Snows for the hills of the Hindu Kush to bring back a canon of Dzogchen texts from its closely guarded source. They constitute the root and essence of Dzogchen in Tibet.”
—from the foreword by Bhakha Tulku, founder of the Vairotsana Foundation

“Precise and poetic, authentic and elusive, these sweet translations bring the warm breath of the Dzogchen tradition into our daily lives. A major contribution to the exciting spread of Dzogchen in modern times.”
—James Lowe, author of Simply Being

Editorial Reviews

"Precise and poetic, authentic and elusive, these sweet translations bring the warm breath of the Dzogchen tradition into our daily lives. A major contribution to the exciting spread of Dzogchen in modern times."

James Lowe

"The five texts translated into English in this book are considered the first transmission of Dzogchen to Tibet. They were transmitted by a Tibetan monk called Vairotsana who distinguished himself not only in the field of translation, emerging as the greatest of the Tibetan lotsawas, but also as a traveler and pilgrim who left the Land of the Snows for the hills of the Hindu Kush to bring back a canon of Dzogchen texts from its closely guarded source. They constitute the root and essence of Dzogchen in Tibet."

from the foreword by Bhakha Tulku

“The five texts translated into English in this book are considered the first transmission of Dzogchen to Tibet. They were transmitted by a Tibetan monk called Vairotsana who distinguished himself not only in the field of translation, emerging as the greatest of the Tibetan lotsawas, but also as a traveler and pilgrim who left the Land of the Snows for the hills of the Hindu Kush to bring back a canon of Dzogchen texts from its closely guarded source. They constitute the root and essence of Dzogchen in Tibet.”
—from the foreword by Bhakha Tulku, founder of the Vairotsana Foundation

“Precise and poetic, authentic and elusive, these sweet translations bring the warm breath of the Dzogchen tradition into our daily lives. A major contribution to the exciting spread of Dzogchen in modern times.”
—James Lowe, author of Simply Being

From the Publisher